Vehicle-spring construction



F. H. I AWTON.l VEHICLE SPRING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION man Aucm, 1919.

1,362,254, y Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

.UNITED STATI-:s PATENT orales.

FREDERICK II. LAW'roN, or GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, AssIGNoR To MARGARET e. BowsER, or GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

VEHICLE-SPRING CONSTRUCTION.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it kno-wn that I, FREDERICK I-I. LAw'roN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Spring Construction; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art toI which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates lto a vehicle spring construction which is particularly adapted for application for use with motor vehicles, the Ford type of motor vehicle being best adapted for application of the construction as shown, though the invention is not in any sense limited to use on the one type of vehicle. It is an object and purpose of the invention to make a construction of.this type in which the shocks of the road will be absorbed and lessened, and the rebound of the usual leaf springs checked so that a much more smooth and easy riding of the vehicle is had. A further object of the invention is to construct the device in such manner that it Can be quickly and easily applied to Ford vehicles already built and this without the use of other than the usual labor employed at any garage. A still further object of the invention is to construct the device of comparatively few1 and simple parts whereby the cost of construction is kept low. All of these objects and purposes, together with many others not specifically enumerated at this time, will appear together with many novel constructions and arrangements of parts for attaining the same as understanding of the invention is had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure' 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of one end of a vehicle axle and spring equipped with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the connection of the device at one end to the leaf spring of the vehicle, and

Fig. 3 is 'a view, similar to that shown in- Fig. 1, of a modified form of construction serving the same ends.

Like reference characters refer to like parts .in the different views of the drawing.

In the construction shown, the front axle 1 has posts 2 extending upwardly there- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 9, 1919. Serial No. 316,293.'y

Patented Dee. 14, 1920.

from, ybetween which a leaf spring 3 is placed. One end only of the axle is shown but the opposite end is the same and need not be shown and described, the construction at one end doing for both. With the rear axle, the posts which usuallyv support the rear spring are attached to the brake housings at the ends of the axle, as is well known by all 'familiar with spring suspensions for Ford motor vehicles. The ends of the springs are usually connected to the posts by means of interposed shackles.

In my invention, the shackles are eliminated and a member 4 is pivotally mounted at the upper end of `each post at 5, having depending arms 6 to which the ends of the spring 3 are pivotally connected, these arms serving the same purpose as the usual shackles.'

A clip 7 is `attached a distance from the end of the spring and its sides extend above the upper side of the spring, serving as supports for one end of a rod 8, which is formed with laterally extending arms 9 at such end which are pivotally mounted in the sides of the clip 7 as shown. Between the ends of the rod '8 la washer-like member is located, the rod passing loosely therethrough. This washer-like member has oppositely extending pintles 10a which are rotatably mounted in the arms 11 cast integral with member 4 and arms 6 heretofore described. This disposes the member 1() between the arms 11, rod 8 also passing between said arms through the member 10 A coiled spring 12 is placed around the rod i8, seating at one end against an abutment 13 adjustable on the rod and at its opposite end against another abutment 14 which may be also adjusted lengthwise of the rod, being held in place by locking'.

nuts 15. The rod 8 extends a distance past the arms l1 so that the member 10 is interposed between two of the intermediate coils of the spring as shown.

Under the shocks of the road when the vehicle is in motion, there is a iiattening of the leaf spring 3 and a turning movement of the member4 about its pivot 5 which moves the upper ends of arms 11 toward the clip 7, the member 10 moving therewith and compressing that part of the spring between said member 10 and the abutment 13; while that part between the washer-like member 10 and the abutment 14 is stretched, it being deloo signed that the ends of the spring shall be 'attached to the abutments. f This checks and absorbs the shocks andvon y return of the spring 3 to normal position, with the consequent rebound beyond its normal position, the vactiony with respect to the two parts of the spring is reversed, the `rebound being progressively checked so that an exceptionr-ally smooth and easy riding action is had.

This alternate compression and expansion of the two parts of the spring also has the effect of keeping the spring elastic, there betriangular shaped member 16 is pivotallyv connected thereto at one corner at 18, shackles 17 being pivotally connected at the opposite lower corner and serving to carry the adjacent end of the spring 3. The clip 7 is attached to the spring substantially as before and a member 19 extends above the clip and has pivotal connection thereto at its lower end as indicated at 20. A rod 8a passes through the member 19 and receives a nut21 at its end, said rod being equivalent to the previously described rod 8 and likewise passing through a washer-like member 1'0 which'is mounted at the upper corner of the member 16, the same being divided at its upper end to receive the member 10. The spring is attached at one end to the member 19 and at its opposite end beyond the member 16 to a member 15 which is adjustable on the rod 8a. The rod likewise may be drawn through the member 19 by turning nutl21, the two parts of the spring each side of the member 10 being thus adjusted as desired.

This construction has much the 'same action as that previously described, and the smooth and easy action is present with it as in the first construction shown in Fig. l.

The pivotal connection of the links 17 to member y16 allows some greater flexibility between the leaf spring 3 and the member l16 than is' present between the spring 3 and the member 4, but the absorption of road shocks and checking of rebound takes place as before except that the degree varies due to the link or shackle connection at 17. Many other variations in structural detail may be resorted to without departing from the in vention, and I do not wish to be limited to the specic detail shown but consider myself end of each post and having a part extending above the' pivot', a leaf spring located` above the axle, connections betweenthe ends of said leaf spring and said members, a rod disposed above the end of the leaf spring and connected at one end thereto, said lrod passing through 4the upper end of said upwardly extending part of the member, a coiled spring around the rod, means pivotally mounted on said' part and interposed be tween two of the .intermediate coils of the spring, and means on the rod adjacent each end thereof to which the respective ends of the coiled spring are secured, substantially as described.

2. In combination, a vehicle axle, postsV projecting above and connected to the axle adjacent the endsthereof, a member pivotally mounted at the upper end of each post, said member 'including downwardly and inwardly extending arms and vertically extending arms, a leaf spring disposed between and connectedjto the lower ends ofthe first mentioned arms, a rod attached at one end to the leaf spring at each end a distance from said second mentioned arms of the member, a coiled spring around the rod, means on the rod at each end thereof to which the ends of the coiled spring are secured, and means on the said second mentioned arms of said member adapted to enter vbetween successive co1ls at the intermediate portion of the'spring, substantially as andv for the purposes described.

3. In combination with a supporting post, a member pivotally connected at its upper end and including downwardly and inwardly extending arms and vertically extending arms, a leaf spring attached at one end to the lower ends of the first mentioned arms, a clip secured to the leaf spring a distance' from its end, a rod pivotally connected to the clip above the leaf spring, a coiled spring around the rod, said rod and coiled spring passing between the upper ends of thev second mentioned arms of said member, means adjacent each end of the rod andattached to the rodto which the ends of the coiled spring are secured, and means on said second mentioned arms adapted to pass between two coils of the spring where the spring passesfbetween said arms, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my si ature.

FREDERICK H. LAW 0N.. 

